Which E-Commerce Platform is Right for You?

Overview

To monetize your content, payment automation is key to scaling your offering. Whether your target buyer is a business (B2B) or an individual consumer (B2C) there are a wide variety of pricing and subscription variations that can be leveraged. Over the years LightSpeed VT has strived to provide the best options for our clients wishing to monetize their content, and as we have had a variety different client needs presented over the years, we have implemented multiple integrated solutions to accommodate a wide variety of possibilities, based on who, what and how you are monetizing your content.

LightSpeed VT is not a payment gateway, or a payment processor/merchant bank, however LSVT has direct integration to these payment solutions:

• Authorize.net
• Stripe.com
• Maxio.com (formerly Chargify.com)
• Paypal.com

Each offers very similar functionalities and features, but also some limitations and they are just different enough to make it worth a look to ensure you choose the correct ecommerce provider. It is important to understand the differences and limitations of each in order to make an informed decision.

Below is a list of features, capabilities, and limitations to help you make an informed decision.

Please note that these are general recommendations and the best choice will depend on your specific needs and circumstances.

We can advise and help you in the decision process once we have additional details about your pricing model.

For additional details, please view our features chart.

Use Cases

B2C with a few one-time purchase products or simple price subscription

Example: Sell a "How to close sales" course for one time $500.00 or $25.00/m.

• Any of the four platforms (Stripe, Maxio, Authorize.net or Paypal) can be used as they all support B2C transactions, one-time purchases, and simple price subscriptions. However, Stripe might be a good choice due to its simplicity and wide range of features. Authorize.net offers less in terms of features but would offer more favorable merchant fees/rates.

B2C with a lot of products with one-time purchase or simple price subscription

Example: Sell a full set of courses "Sales from beginner to expert" courses, each for one time $500.00 or $25.00/m.

• Again, any of the four platforms can be used. However, if you have a lot of products, you might want to consider Stripe or Maxio as it offers products management options. Paypal setup of products is less intuitive.

B2C with more advanced pricing and subscription terms

Example: Sell courses "Sales from beginner to expert" for 15 days trial period at $9.99 or a set up fee of $199.00, then renews at $300.00 every 3 months.

• Stripe and Maxio would be the best choices for this scenario as it offers advanced pricing options and supports a wide range of subscription settings. Paypal does also offer extensive pricing options.

B2B with only a few products or simple price subscription

Example: Sell a location to "Acme Sales, Inc" for $199.00/m or $2.00 per users.

• All platforms support B2B transactions, one-time purchases, and simple price subscriptions.

B2B with a lot of products

Example: Sell a full curriculum of 50 different courses with each different prices and role assigments per courses.

• Maxio and Stripe might be the better choices due to their advanced pricing options and better product management tools.

B2C with more advanced price subscription

Example: Sell locations for $1999.00 set up, and $500.00/m for 100 users, $750.00/m for 200 users or $3.00 per users up to 100, then $2.50 per users after 100.

• Stripe or Maxio would be the only choices for this scenario as it offers advanced pricing options and supports a wide range of subscription settings that Authorize.net does not.

Options

Stripe

Stripe processing fees: (2.9% + 30¢ per successful card charge)

This integration works well if you have have more complex price offers or require more advanced features.

Pros:

• Offers a wide range of subscription settings including one-time purchase, advanced recurring subscription, trial period, setup fee, and coupons.
• Offers standard, package, tier, graduated and volume pricing.
• Offers a variety of billing profile settings and general settings.
• Supports Google Pay and Apple Pay and Paypal.
• Provides a robust API and good customer support.
• Tighter integrations with LightSpeedVT.
• Excellent third party integrations.
• Offers excellent API.

Cons:

• Limited custom fields in the checkout form.
• Does not support VAT number.
• Higher merchant fees and rates.
• More scrutiny toward certain industries.
• Cannot use third party merchant accounts.

Maxio

Maxio processing fees: Variable - Please contact us to determine

Our Maxio integration would work well for clients using a different payment gateway other than Stripe or Authorize.net (i.e. Braintree) which has very similar capabilities like Stripe, as far as offering different pricing structures.

Pros:

• Offers a wide range of subscription settings including one-time purchase, recurring subscription, trial period, setup fee, and coupons.
• Offers standard, package, graduated and volume pricing.
• Offers a variety of billing profile settings and general settings.
• Supports PayPal.
• Offers advanced pricing options in product configurations.
• Provides a robust API and good customer support.
• Multiple choices for credit card processors.
• Good integration with LightSpeedVT.
• Offers API.

Cons:

• Does not support trial roles.
• Does not support Google Pay and Apple Pay.
• Does not offer bump products (upsell).
• Does not offer a one-time product in product configurations.

Authorize.net

Authorize processing fees: ($25/mo + Per transaction 10¢, daily batch fee is 10¢)

This integration works well for clients who are just looking to sell one time offers and simple monthly recurring subscriptions with flat rates and aren’t looking to evolve their pricing structures.

In situations where a client can't use Stripe or Maxio (Within an industry not allowed by Stripe or live in a country where Stripe is not yet supported) we suggest using Authorize.net.

Pros:

• Offers a very limited range of subscription settings including one-time purchase, recurring subscription, trial period, setup fee, and coupons.
• Offers multiple choices for merchant accounts connections.
• Offers better merchant fees and rates.
• Offers limited API.

Cons:

• Does not support trial roles.
• Does not allow for custom fields in the checkout form.
• Does not support VAT number.
• Does not support PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay
• Does not offer advanced pricing options.
• Does not offer a robust search function.
• Does not offer advanced tax/VAT options.
• Does not support webhooks.
• Very limited set of admin features.

Paypal

Paypal processing fees: (3.49% + $0.49 fee)

Paypal could be considered a hybrid between payment method (Similar to a credit card or a check) and a payment gateway/subscription management tool/merchant account (Similar to Stripe or Authorize.net). However, despite its broad functionality, one of PayPal's limitations is that it requires the end-user to have a PayPal account for some of its services. To mitigate this, it is best to use in conjunction with our Stripe or Maxio integrations.

It's also recognized internationally, making it an excellent choice for cross-border transactions.

Pros:

• Offers a range of subscription settings including one-time purchase, recurring subscription, trial period, setup fee, and coupons.
• Offers standard, package, tier, graduated and volume pricing.
• Offers easy business setup.
• Supports taxes.
• Offers integrated Paypal business suite of tools.
• Offers API.
• Offers Webhooks.

Cons:

• Does not support billing profile under LSVT.
• Does not allow for custom fields in the checkout form.
• Does not support VAT number.
• Does not support Google Pay and Apple Pay
• A Paypal account may be needed.